Mordor PoW Testnet Launched for ETC Development

In October 2019, the Ethereum Classic community launched the Mordor testnet — a dedicated proof-of-work test network that mirrors ETC mainnet conditions.

## Why Mordor

Previous ETC testnets had limitations: some used proof-of-authority consensus (which behaves differently from proof-of-work), and others suffered from instability. Mordor was designed from the ground up as a proper PoW testnet using the same ETChash algorithm as ETC mainnet.

## Technical Details

- **Chain ID**: 63 (0x3f)
- **Consensus**: Proof-of-work (ETChash)
- **Block time**: ~13 seconds (matching mainnet)
- **Network upgrades**: Activates upgrades before mainnet for testing

## What Mordor Provides

### For Developers
- Deploy and test smart contracts in a realistic PoW environment
- Test gas estimation with real mining dynamics
- Verify contract behavior under actual consensus conditions

### For Client Teams
- Test network upgrade implementations before mainnet activation
- Run multi-client compatibility tests
- Verify fork transitions at specific block numbers

### For Miners
- Test mining software configurations
- Verify pool compatibility
- Benchmark hardware performance

## Testnet ETC

Mordor ETC has no monetary value. Developers can obtain testnet ETC from community faucets to deploy contracts and test transactions without cost.

## Ongoing Use

Mordor continues to serve as ETC's primary testnet. All network upgrades — including Atlantis, Agharta, Phoenix, Magneto, Mystique, Thanos, and Spiral — were activated on Mordor before mainnet deployment. The upcoming Olympia upgrade will follow the same pattern.